Networks
Co-Authors
Map Of Science
Morin, James G
Cornell Emeritus Professor
Cornell Faculty Member
Close
Positions
- Professor, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology (EEB), College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) - 2012
I have two websites: my own personal research website and one the department.
Research Areas
- Affiliations
- Research
- Publications
- Teaching
- Service
- Background
- Other
- View All
Affiliations
other Cornell affiliations
Research
research overview
- 1. Studies of mechanisms and functions of bioluminescence in marine organisms. Emphasis on physiological, behavioral, morphological and ecological approaches in both field and laboratory. Organisms stressed are the luminescent coelenterates (ctenophores, hydrozoans, scyphozoans and anthozoans), annelids (especially polynoids and chaetopterids), echinoderms (especially ophiuroids), crustaceans (especially ostracodes), fishes (especially benthic forms with bacterial light organs), and luminous bacteria. Studies include neurophysiological analyses of neuro-effector coupling mechanisms; fluorescence and electron microscopy of photocytes and light organs; optical signaling behavior analyses, especially of sexual communication; in situ field observations and experiments of luminescent species and their prey and predators; and isolation and purification of molecular components. 2. Bioluminescent signaling, mating patterns, population biology, functional morphology, and systematics of Caribbean ostracode crustaceans in the genus Vargula. 3. Studies of the trophic relationships in peripheral pools of the supratidal zone of Appledore Island in the Gulf of Maine. These pools are numerous and highly variable with respect to salinity, nutrients, drying and filling with rain water, and constituent biota. In this simple food-web system we focus on the broad question of trophic relations among the consumers and the narrower question of the regulatory effect of pool drying followed by subsequent inundation. 4. Symbiotic relationships between fishes with bacterial light organs and their bacterial symbionts. These include studies of ultrastructure, functional morphology and bacterial physiology and biochemistry. 5. Integrative behavior of the coordinating systems in coelenterates especially hydroids. Involves electrical recordings and effector output as correlated to behavioral responses. Spread and facilitation of responses through colonial animals. Development of excitation and effector paths in time and space. 6. Studies examining the structure and dynamics of subtidal sand communities. These include determining changes and factors controlling the distribution of sand dollars (Dendraster), sea pansies (Renilla), and other common epifaunal organisms. Role of luminescence in these communities. Also diel, seasonal and catastrophic changes in these populations.
research activities
area(s) of concentration/expertise
- Animal Behavior
- Animal Communication
- Aquatic Ecology and Conservation Biology
- Aquatic Systems Ecology
- Envir Microbiology, Microbial Ecol, Bacterial Physiology
- Evolutionary Biology
- Life History / Evolution
- Marine Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
- Marine Ecology and Invertebrate Zoology
- Systematic Biology
other area(s) of concentration/expertise
- invertebrate zoology
keywords
- bioluminescence
- marine invertebrates
- ostracodes
submitted impact statement
Publications
individual publications
-
academic article
- Based on a review of the data, use of the term ‘cypridinid’ solves the Cypridina/Vargula dilemma for naming the constituents of the luminescent system of ostracods in the family Cypridinidae. . Luminescence. 26. 2011
- It’s all about sex: Bioluminescent courtship displays, morphological variation and sexual selection in two new genera of Caribbean ostracods.. Journal of Crustacean Biology. 30:56-67. 2010
- Our Invisible Close Relatives. . American Paleontologist. 18:23-25. 2010
- Darkness as an ecological resource: the role of light in partitioning the nocturnal niche.. Oecologia. 160:525-536. 2009
- Plasticity of alternative mating tactics of a marine bioluminescent ostracod.. Animal Behavior. 78:723-734. 2009
- Complex sexual courtship displays by luminescent male ostracods. Journal of Experimental Biology. 211:2252-2262. 2008
- Life cycle of a bioluminescent marine ostracode, Vargula annecohenae (Myodocopida: Cypridinidae). Journal of Crustacean Biology. 28:669-674. 2008
- Vargula annecohenae, a new species of bioluminescent ostracode (Myodocopida: Cypridinidae) from Belize. Journal of Crustacean Biology. 27:649-659. 2007
- Living light from Cnidarians. Wings. 21:14-17. 1998
- External anatomy of the female genital (eighth) limbs and the setose openings in Myodocopid Ostracodes (Cypridinidae). Acta Zoologica. 78:85-96. 1997
- "Firefleas" of the sea: Luminescent signaling in marine ostracode crustaceans. Florida Entomologist. 69:105-121. 1996
- Sex and ostracods. Trends in Ecology and Evolution. 10:246. 1995
- The cypridinid copulatory limb and a new genus Kornickeria (Ostracoda: Myodocopida) and 4 new species of bioluminescent ostracodes from the Caribbean. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. 108:23-84. 1993
- Camouflage by disruptive illumination in leiognathids, a family of shallow-water, bioluminescent fishes. Journal of Experimental Biology. 156:119-137. 1991
- Patterns of Reproduction in Ostracodes; A Review. Journal of Crustacean Biology. 10:184-211. 1990
- Six new luminescent ostracodes of the genus Vargula (Myodocopida, Cypridinidae) from the San Blas region of Panama. Journal of Crustacean Biology. 9:297-340. 1989
- Organisms of a subtidal sand community in southern California. Bulletin of the South California Academy of Science. 87:1-11. 1988
- Two new ostracodes of the genus Vargula from the San Blas region of Panama. Journal of Crustacean Biology. 8:620-638. 1988
- Organization and patterns of interaction in a subtidal sand community on an exposed coast. Marine Ecology Progress Series. 27:163-185. 1985
- Scaling in tensile "skeletons": Scale dependent length of the Achilles tendon in mammals. Journal of Zoology, London. 202:361-372. 1984
- Coastal bioluminescence: Patterns and functions. Bulletin of Marine Science. 33:787-817. 1983
- Scaling in tensile "skeletons": Structures with scale-independent length dimensions. Science. 217:1267-1270. 1982
- Luminous enteric bacteria of marine fishes: A study of their distribution, densities and dispersion. Applied and Environmental Microbiology. 38:406-411. 1979
- Specificity of symbiosis between deep-sea fishes and psychrotropic luminous bacteria. Deep Sea Research. 25:161-167. 1978
- Localization and characterization of luminescent cells in Ophiopsila california and Amphipholis squamata. Biological Bulletin. 152:12-25. 1977
- Light for all reasons: Versatility in the behavioral repertoire of the flashlight fish. Science. 190:74-76. 1975
- The cellular origin of bioluminescence in the colonial hydroid Obelia. Biological Bulletin. 147:397-410. 1975
- Evidence for similar biochemical requirements for bioluminescence among the coelenterates. Journal of Cellular Physiology. 81:291-298. 1973
- Similarities in the bioluminescence from the Pennatulacea. Biochimica Et Biophysica Acta. 314:104-109. 1973
- Behavioural physiology of the colonial hydroid Obelia. I. Spontaneous movements and correlated electrical activity. Journal of Experimental Biology. 54:689-706. 1971
- Behavioural physiology of the colonial hydroid Obelia. II. Stimulus-initiated electrical activity and bioluminescence. Journal of Experimental Biology. 54:707-721. 1971
- Behavioural physiology of the colonial hydroid Obelia. III. Characteristics of the bioluminescent system. Journal of Experimental Biology. 54:723-735. 1971
- Biochemistry of the bioluminescence of colonial hydroids and other coelenterates. Journal of Cellular Physiology. 77:305-311. 1971
- Calcium-triggered light emission in Renilla. A unitary biochemical scheme for coelenterate bioluminescence. Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications. 37:493-498. 1971
- Energy transfer in a bioluminescent system. Journal of Cellular Physiology. 77:313-318. 1971
-
booksection
-
chapter
- Sexual morphology, reproduction and the evolution of bioluminescence in Ostracoda. Paleontological Society Paper. 37-70. 2003
- Photons for reporting molecular events: Green Fluorescent Protein and four luciferase systems. Green fluorescent protein: Properties, applications, and protocols. 17-41. 1998
- Bioluminescence. Neural and integrative animal physiology [comparative animal physiology]. 131-170. 1991
- Bioluminescent displays, courtship, and reproduction in Ostracodes. Crustacean sexual biology. 1-16. 1991
- Morphological relationships of bioluminescent Caribbean species of Vargula (Myodocopa). Ostracoda and global events. 381-400. 1990
- Three new luminescent ostracodes of the genus Vargula (Myodocopida, Cypridinidae) from the San Blas region of Panama. Contributions in Science. 1-23. 1986
- Bioluminescence in Fishes. Bioluminescence in action. 273-329. 1978
- Coelenterate bioluminescence. Coelenterate biology: Reviews and new perspectives. 397-438. 1974
-
conference paper
- Bioluminescent patterns in shallow tropical marine fishes. Proceedings: Fourth International Coral Reef Symposium, Vol. 2. 569-574. 1981
-
report
Teaching
teaching overview
- I have a long and dedicated career for teaching undergraduate and graduate students. From 1997 to 2005 I was the Director of the Shoals Marine Laboratory, whose primary mission is undergraduate education and research. For the Lab I obtained NSF funding [8 years] for undergraduate students to gain independent research experience with research mentors during the summer. I have taught large introductory biology classes [most recently in 2006 and 2007 at Cornell – BioG 102], advanced biology classes, especially Invertebrate Zoology, and seminars on Marine Science, Biogeography, Systematics, Invertebrate Biology, and Invertebrate Behavior. I have produced a number of PhD students who have themselves gone on to distinguished careers at some of the best institutions in the country [see list].
Service
service to the profession
- Paleontological Research Institute Board of Directors 2010 -
- The Crustacean Society
- Paleontological Research Institute Board of Directors 2010 - 2015
Background
education and training
- Ph.D. in, Harvard University 1969
- M.S. in, Harvard University 1967
- B.A. in, University of California at Santa Barbara 1965
Other
college
- CALS
research keyword
- bioluminescence
- marine invertebrates
- ostracodes
name prefix
- Professor